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6 Sep 2012

Audi RS5 Cabriolet - photos and specification

Fresh from it's live unveiling (hosted here) Audi have released details of the new 444bhp RS5 cabriolet. The cabriolet gets Audi's fantastic 4.2 litre FSI V8.

Unusually for a cabrio the fabric hood only takes up 60 litres of the 380 litre boot - leaving plenty of space. The body of the car has been stiffened over the coupe but without additional weight - instead the cabriolet comes with aluminium front wings to offset the weight gain.

The RS5 cabriolet gets all the gadgets that are in the coupe but in addition you will find automatic front seat belt feeders, a wind deflector, rollover protection and head level heating.

The 4.2 litre V8 delivers its 444bhp at 8,250rpm and peak torque of 430Nm at between 4-6,000rpm. It does 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and can go on to 174mph.

The RS5 cabriolet comes with Audi's quattro system backed up with a rear sport differential to improve handling. The default 40:60 power delivery can be altered electronically to 70% to the front or 85% to the rear depending on the circumstances.

Sounds pretty good and to be honest its quite a looker too. Audi design has come on in leaps and bounds recently and their current model line-up puts their German rivals to shame. Let's just hope Chris Bangle isn't let anywhere near Ingolstadt.